Method and device for providing ingredient data for a prosthesis

Abstract

A method is provided for providing a set of ingredients for manufacturing of a dental prosthesis covering. The method comprises receiving a background colour value providing information on a colour of a background substrate on which the prosthesis is to be provided, receiving an appearance colour value providing information on an appearance colour of the prosthesis and receiving a thickness value providing information on a thickness of the dental prosthesis covering. In an electronic memory, a first ingredient record is looked up comprising first ingredient value, based on the measured background value and the measured appearance colour value. The first ingredient values are adjusted in an electronic processor adjusted based on the thickness value and through electronic output means, the adjusted ingredient data is provided. By adjusting ingredients for thickness, a more natural appearance may be achieved.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of providing a set of ingredients for manufacturing of a dental prosthesis covering, the method comprising:
 obtaining image data for a dental prosthesis covering, said image data being captured via a camera configured to acquire said image data; 
 receiving background colour data, from said obtained image data, providing information on a colour of a background substrate on which the dental prosthesis is to be provided; 
 receiving appearance colour data, from said obtained image data, providing information on an appearance colour of the dental prosthesis; 
 receiving a thickness value providing information on a thickness of the dental prosthesis covering; 
 using a query in the form of a first data vector for looking up, in an electronic memory, a first ingredient record comprising first ingredient values, said query being based on the received background colour data and the received appearance colour data, and the first ingredient record represented as a second data vector; 
 in an electronic processor, adjusting the first ingredient values based on the thickness value; and 
 providing, through an electronic output, the adjusted ingredient values for the set of ingredients for manufacturing the dental prosthesis covering. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a finish value providing information on a type of enamel finish, wherein the looking up the first ingredient record is also based on the finish value. 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein looking up the first ingredient record comprises looking up the first ingredient record being associated with first record background colour data matching to the received background colour data and with first record appearance colour data matching the received appearance colour data. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising, if the looking up the first ingredient record in the electronic memory yields no result as no ingredient record is available having associated thereto record background colour data being substantially equal to the received background colour data and record appearance colour data being substantially equal to the received appearance colour data:
 looking up, in the electronic memory, at least a second ingredient record having associated thereto second record background colour data and second record appearance colour data being close to the received background colour data and the received appearance colour data or differing from the received background colour data and the received appearance colour data by less than a pre-determined threshold; 
 retrieving the second ingredient record and providing the second ingredient values as the first ingredient values. 
 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising:
 determining a background difference value between the second record background colour data and the received background colour data; 
 determining an appearance difference value between the second appearance colour data and the received appearance colour data; 
 adjusting ingredient values of the second ingredient record based on the background difference value and the appearance difference value; 
 providing the adjusted ingredient values as the first ingredient values. 
 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising:
 looking up, in the electronic memory, at least a third ingredient record having associated thereto third record background colour data and third record appearance colour data being close to the received background colour data and the received appearance colour data or differing from the received background colour data and the received appearance colour data by less than a pre-determined threshold; 
 wherein at least one of a first background difference between the third record background colour data and the received background value and a first appearance difference between the third record appearance colour data and the received appearance colour data has a sign opposite to at least one of a second background difference between the second record background colour data and the received background colour data and a second appearance difference between the second record appearance colour data and the received appearance colour data, respectively; 
 the method further comprising: 
 determining adjusted ingredient values also based on the second ingredient values and the third ingredient values; and 
 providing the adjusted ingredient values as the first ingredient values. 
 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein determining is further based on the received colour data, the second colour data and the third colour data. 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein determining the adjusted ingredient values comprises interpolation between the second ingredient values and the third ingredient values. 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising receiving a finish value providing information on a type of enamel finish, wherein the looking up is also based on the finish value, wherein at least one of the looking up and the adjusting of the ingredient values is based on the finish value. 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising retrieving the second ingredient record a background colour value associated with the second ingredient record; and
 providing a background substrate with the background colour value of the second ingredient record. 
 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the adjusting the first ingredient values based on the thickness value is based on the principles of the law of Lambert Beer. 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising receiving measurement protocol data, wherein at least one of the looking up and the determining is also based on the measurement protocol data. 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the receiving appearance colour data comprises obtaining at least one of a first appearance colour data value related to a middle area of a tooth or the dental prosthesis, a second appearance colour data value related to an incisal area of a tooth or the dental prosthesis and a third appearance colour data value related to a cervical area of a tooth or the dental prosthesis. 
     
     
       14. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving detected appearance colour data, representing an appearance colour detected by means of a colour sensor; 
 receiving a detected reference colour value, representing a reference colour detected by means of the colour sensor; 
 obtaining a basic reference colour value; 
 determining a colour adjustment value, based on the detected reference colour value and the basic reference colour value; 
 providing adjusted appearance colour data based on the detected appearance colour data and the colour adjustment value; 
 executing the method with the adjusted appearance colour data as the received appearance colour data. 
 
     
     
       15. A method of manufacturing a dental prosthesis, comprising:
 receiving a set of ingredients for manufacturing of the dental prosthesis covering provided in accordance with the method according to  claim 1 ; 
 obtaining ingredients in accordance with the set of ingredients; 
 manufacturing the dental prosthesis using the obtained ingredients. 
 
     
     
       16. A non-transitory computer program product comprising computer executable instructions that enable a computer, when the instructions are loaded in the memory, to carry out the method according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
       17. The device for providing a set of ingredients for manufacturing of a dental prosthesis covering, the device comprising:
 a communication unit arranged to:
 receive image data for a dental prosthesis, said image data being captured via a camera configured to acquire said image data; 
 receive background colour data, from said obtained image data, providing information on a colour of a background substrate on which a dental prosthesis is to be provided; 
 receive appearance colour data, from said obtained image data, providing information on an appearance colour of the dental prosthesis; 
 receive a thickness value providing information on a thickness of the dental prosthesis covering; 
 
 an electronic memory arranged to store a database comprising ingredient records; and 
 a processing unit arranged to:
 use a query in the form of a first data vector for looking up, in an electronic memory, a first ingredient record comprising first ingredient values, said query being based on the received background value and the received appearance colour data, and the first ingredient record represented as a second data vector; 
 adjusting the first ingredient values based on the thickness value; 
 
 wherein the communication unit is further arranged to provide, through an electronic output, the adjusted first ingredient values for the set of ingredients for manufacturing the dental prosthesis covering. 
 
     
     
       18. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 looking up, in the electronic memory, a second ingredient record comprising second ingredient values, the second ingredient record represented as a third data vector, the second ingredient values having associated therewith a second record background colour data and second record appearance colour data, said second ingredient values not deviating from values in the query by more than a pre-determined threshold and being represented as a third data vector; 
 determining a colour distance in the form of a difference vector between colour values in the first data vector of the query and the third data vector of the second ingredient values in the second ingredient record; 
 adjusting the ingredient values of the second ingredient record further based on the colour distance; and 
 providing the adjusted ingredient values of the second ingredient record as the first ingredient values which are adjusted based on the thickness value and provided for the set of ingredients for manufacturing the dental prosthesis covering. 
 
     
     
       19. The device according to  claim 17 , wherein the processing unit is further arranged to:
 look up, in the electronic memory, a second ingredient record comprising second ingredient values, the second ingredient record represented as a third data vector, the second ingredient values having associated therewith a second record background colour data and second record appearance colour data, said second ingredient values not deviating from values in the query by more than a pre-determined threshold and being represented as a third data vector; 
 determine a colour distance in the form of a difference vector between colour values in the first data vector of the query and the third data vector of the second ingredient values in the second ingredient record; 
 adjust the ingredient values of the second ingredient record further based on the colour distance; and 
 provide the adjusted ingredient values of the second ingredient record as the first ingredient values which are adjusted based on the thickness value and provided for the set of ingredients for manufacturing the dental prosthesis covering.